Irb Criticised Over Rwc Host Costs

The International Rugby Board has come under fire for not making the Rugby World Cup more viable for smaller countries to host.

Australian rugby chief John O’Neill believes smaller countries are being priced out of the opportunity to host the flagship tournament due to the IRB wanting £100m and £120m respectively from the hosts of the 2015 and 2019 events.

Said O’Neill: ‘There are very few countries that could put their hands up for that sort of commitment. I’m not sure these can be sustained over the long haul without reducing the candidates down to France and England.’

England’s Rugby Football Union has already held informal discussions with the Welsh Rugby Union about launching a joint bid for the 2015 competition.

Japan – who lost out to New Zealand for the right to host the 2011 edition, are also expected to bid again.

O’Neill, in his second spell as Australian Rugby Union chief executive, presided over the successful 2003 World Cup in Australia.

‘Australia has led the way in supporting major events in cash and in kind. But these £100m and £120m figures for 2015 and 2019 are at a level that we haven’t seen before. It’s almost saying it doesn’t matter if the host doesn’t make a profit.

‘You could end up with a situation where the Olympics were in 1984, when they couldn’t get anyone to host the Olympics and Los Angeles stepped up and did so on their own terms.’

Despite the price hike, O’Neill says the ARU is considering making a bid for the 2019 competition, with the IRB seeking expressions of interest by 15th August.
 
The 2007 World Cup in France was the most successful in the tournament’s 20-year history, with 2.25m fans attending the matches, up to 4.2bn watching worldwide on television, and an economic impact of £3.18bn in France, according to IRB figures.